Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 85.1% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo is 85.1%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 86.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 80.8%, in 1991.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 9th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 80.8% | — |
| 1992 | 81.3% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 81.9% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 82.4% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 82.9% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 83.1% | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 83.4% | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 83.6% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 83.8% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 84.0% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 84.2% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 84.3% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 84.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 84.2% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 84.0% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 83.8% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 83.6% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 83.3% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 83.1% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 82.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 82.8% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 82.6% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 83.0% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 83.6% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 84.0% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 84.4% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 84.8% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 85.3% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 86.6% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 86.1% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 85.9% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 85.6% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 85.3% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 85.1% | -0.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 85.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 80.5%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 85.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 71.0%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 82.6% | 80.8% | 83.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 83.9% | 83.1% | 84.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.7% | 82.6% | 85.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.8% | 85.1% | 86.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 6 Central African Republic 85.4% compare
- 7 Tanzania 85.3% compare
- 8 Mozambique 85.3% compare
- 10 Burundi 84.9% compare
- 11 Ethiopia 84.3% compare
- 12 Afghanistan 83.4% compare
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 23,407 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 64.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 41,856 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.48 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 4,595 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 1,696 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 61.26 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.69 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo was 85.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 86.6% in 2020.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.8% in 1991.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 9th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.